The air in the hall was still heavy when the doors opened.
A silence rippled through the hall, broken only by the soft, deliberate steps of the two figures who entered.
Principal Lucian walked in first. His golden eyes, cold yet glowing with a strange authority, swept across the room like a sword drawn from its sheath.
Each student flinched beneath that gaze. Behind him, Vice Principal Seris moved with quiet grace, her presence lighter, but no less firm.
As soon as they entered, the pressure changed. It was as if the weight of the ceiling doubled, pressing down on everyone's shoulders.
Some students lowered their heads instinctively, while others sat stiff, pretending to endure.
Lucian's eyes lingered on them, and in those eyes the truth of the room reflected.
He saw anger trembling beneath clenched fists. He saw fear etched into pale faces, the kind that lingered even after danger was gone.
